Ponerini

Ponerini is a tribe of ponerine ants with 46 genera and 6 extinct genera. It contains every ponerine genus except Platythyrea, which is placed in its own tribe Platythyreini.

Genera

Extant

Pachycondyla genus group

• Belonopelta <small>Mayr, 1870</small>
• Dinoponera <small>Roger, 186</small>
• Mayaponera <small>Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014</small>
• Neoponera <small>Emery, 1901</small>
• Pachycondyla <small>Smith, 1858</small>
• Rasopone <small>Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014</small>
• Simopelta <small>Mann, 1922</small>
• Thaumatomyrmex <small>Mayr, 1887</small>

Ponera genus group

• Austroponera <small>Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014</small>
• Corrieopone <small>Esteves & Fisher, 2021</small>
• Diacamma <small>Mayr, 1862</small>
• Ectomomyrmex <small>Mayr, 1867</small>
• Emeryopone <small>Forel, 1912</small>
• Parvaponera <small>Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014</small>
• Ponera <small>Latreille, 1804</small>
• Pseudoponera <small>Emery, 1900</small>
• Sritoponera <small>Fisher et al. 2025</small>
• Wadeura <small>Weber, 1939</small>

Odontomachus genus group

• Anochetus <small>Mayr, 1861</small>
• Asphinctopone <small>Santschi, 1914</small>
• Boltonopone <small>Fisher et al. 2025</small>
• Bothroponera <small>Mayr, 1862</small>
• Brachyponera <small>Emery, 1900</small>
• Buniapone <small>Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014</small>
• Cryptopone <small>Emery, 1893</small>
• Dolioponera <small>Brown, 1974</small>
• Euponera <small>Forel, 1891</small>
• Feroponera <small>Bolton & Fisher, 2008</small>
• Fisheropone <small>Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014</small>
• Hagensia <small>Forel, 1901</small>
• Leptogenys <small>Roger, 1861</small>
• Makebapone <small>Fisher et al. 2025</small>
• Megaponera <small>Mayr, 1862</small>
• Mesoponera <small>Emery, 1900</small>
• Myopias <small>Roger, 1861</small>
• Odontomachus <small>Latreille, 1804</small>
• Odontoponera <small>Mayr, 1862</small>
• Ophthalmopone <small>Forel, 1890</small>
• Paltothyreus <small>Mayr, 1862</small>
• Phrynoponera <small>Wheeler, 1920</small>
• Promyopias <small>Santschi, 1914</small>
• Pseudoneoponera <small>Donisthorpe, 1943</small>
• Streblognathus <small>Mayr, 1862</small>
• Subiridopone <small>Fisher et al. 2025</small>
• Xiphopelta <small>Forel, 1913</small>

Harpegnathos genus group

• Harpegnathos <small>Jerdon, 1851</small>

Hypoponera genus group

• Hypoponera <small>Santschi, 1938</small>

Plectroctena genus group

• Boloponera <small>Fisher, 2006</small>
• Centromyrmex <small>Mayr, 1866</small>
• Loboponera <small>Bolton & Brown, 2002</small>
• Plectroctena <small>Smith, 1858</small>
• Psalidomyrmex <small>André, 1890</small>

Unknown genus group

• Igaponera <small>Troya et al., 2022</small>

Extinct

• †Archiponera <small>Carpenter, 1930</small>
• †Cephalopone <small>Dlussky & Wedmann, 2012</small>
• †Cyrtopone <small>Dlussky & Wedmann, 2012</small>
• †Desyopone <small>Boudinot & Perrichot, 2022</small>
• †Messelepone <small>Dlussky & Wedmann, 2012</small>
• †Ponerites <small>Dlussky & Rasnitsyn, 2003</small>
• †Protopone <small>Dlussky, 1988</small>
• †Siinikaponera <small>Varela-Hernández et al., 2024</small>

Phylogeny

The maximum-probability molecular cladogram of the tribe constructed by Fisher et al. in 2025 is shown here. All genera are represented except for Igaponera, which is only known from a single queen specimen. Six unofficial genus groups are recognized by the authors, namely the Pachycondyla, Ponera, Harpegnathos, Plectroctena, Hypoponera, and Odontomachus groups. These genus groups are also referred to as alliances.

Notes

References